Folding knives enjoy wide popularity, particularly among sportsmen, campers, hikers, and many others engaged in outdoor activities. Common elements to folding knives include a handle and a blade pivotally connected to an end of the handle so that the blade pivots with respect to the handle between an open position in which the blade is extended away from the handle and a closed position in which the blade is at least partially received within the handle. Many folding knives also include a locking mechanism to maintain the blade in an open and/or closed position.
Examples of folding knives, including folding knives with locking mechanisms, may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,454,665; 1,743,022; 4,040,081; 4,173,068; 4,404,748; 4,451,982; 4,502,221; 4,719,700; 4,805,303; 4,811,486; 4,837,932; 4,893,409; 4,974,323; 4,979,301; 5,044,079; 5,060,379; 5,095,624; 5,111,581; 5,293,690; 5,325,588; 5,331,741; 5,425,175; 5,502,895; 5,515,610; 5,537,750; 5,546,662; 5,596,808; 5,615,484; 5,685,079; 5,689,885; 5,692,304; 5,737,841; 5,755,035; 5,802,722; 5,822,866; 5,826,340; 5,887,347; 5,964,036; 6,079,106; 6,154,965; 6,338,431; 6,378,214; 6,427,335; 6,438,848; 6,490,797; D348,599, and D373,296; and U.S. Patent Application Nos. 2002/0157260 and 2003/0070299, the entire disclosures of which are herein incorporated by reference for all purposes.
Simple locking mechanisms for locking and/or unlocking the blade of a folding knife may enhance the utility of the knife.